1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an incoming call control system which is effective when applied to Computer Telephony System (CTI) in which a computer and an exchange are linked to control call connection.
2. Description of the Related Art
In most of conventional private branch exchange systems, extension line communication and line wire communication are carried out with extensions in each of which a handset and a small-sized liquid crystal display are integrally formed.
In an extension of this kind, a called party is notified of an incoming call with stereotyped ringing tone and character information of several characters displayed on a liquid crystal display.
On the other hand, in an office, an office network system has been introduced in which each person is allotted one personal computer and all the personal computers are integratively managed by a LAN.
However, under the existing situation, an extension system and such an office network system described in the above are managed as completely different systems. More specifically, an extension system is managed by a private branch exchange (PBX) while an office network system is managed by a host computer forming a server separately from the extension system.
Therefore, in case an extension rings indicating that there is an incoming call when a person is working at a personal computer terminal (client terminal) on his desk, the person has to turn his eyes from the display of the computer terminal to the liquid crystal display of the extension telephone to confirm, for example, whether the incoming call is from an extension or from a line wire.
Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. Hei 8-125770 as the related art takes notice of this point and discloses a personal computer with a function as an extension which indicates that there is an incoming call on a display means such as a display.
Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. Hei 5-108578 also proposes a computer with a built-in telephone and discloses technique to turn call information into a file of a computer.
However, a merely built-in telephone in a personal computer is a precondition for both of the above-described related arts, and no attention is paid to utilization of hardware resources such as an extension exchange and extension telephones which have been already laid in an office.
The present invention is made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances. According to the present invention, an existing extension switch system is utilized. By managing an incoming call to an extension with a LAN server, a client terminal corresponding to the extension is notified of the incoming call, and an operator of the client terminal is notified of the incoming call by a display forming the client terminal displaying that there is the incoming call or by a sound function of the client terminal. Further, the present invention proposes a system in which the notification of an incoming call can be switched depending on whether the client terminal logs in a server or not.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, an incoming call control system comprises an exchange connected with a plurality of extensions for controlling extension line communication or line wire communication, and a server in which each of a plurality of client terminals having a display means are connected therewith to form a network for sending and receiving outgoing and incoming call information to and from the exchange. The server is provided with a means for making the extensions correspond to the client terminals, respectively, and a means for notifying a client terminal to refer to the means for making the extensions correspond to the client terminals when incoming call information to one of the extensions is received from the exchange and to notify a corresponding client terminal of the incoming call. Further, each of the client terminals is provided with a means for displaying notification of an incoming call to change the status of display on the display means when notification of an incoming call is received from the server.
In this way, since an exchange of an existing extension system is linked with a network server, when there is an incoming call to an existing extension, an operator can recognize it with a change on a display of a personal computer used as a client terminal (LAN terminal) or the like. Therefore, various kinds of display of notification of an incoming call is possible such as display status differing depending on whether the incoming call is from a line wire or from an extension, or display of information of the calling party on the display.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the server is provided with a means for managing an incoming call mode for setting whether an incoming call to a client terminal corresponding to an extension which receives incoming call information from the exchange is permitted or not.
With the means for managing an incoming call mode, whether an incoming call is indicated on a display of a client terminal or an incoming call is indicated by ringing tone of an existing extension can be arbitrarily selected, which permits flexible operation using an existing extension system.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the invention, the server is provided with a means for managing log-in to manage log-in of a client terminal connected with a network, such that a client terminal the log-in of which is verified is identified by the means for managing log-in to set such that an incoming call to the client terminal is permitted by the means for managing an incoming call mode.
When a client terminal does not log in the server, for example, when the client terminal is switched off or when the personal computer is used as a stand-alone, an incoming call to the client terminal can be forbidden by the means for managing log-in. In this case, ordinary ringing tone of an extension indicates that there is an incoming call.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the invention, the exchange is provided with a means for controlling telephones to control a call mode of each of the extensions, such that hand-free call can be set by the means for controlling telephones with respect to an extension in which an incoming call to a client terminal corresponding thereto is permitted by the means for managing an incoming call mode of the server.
When an incoming call to a client terminal (notification of an incoming call is displayed by a change on a display means of a client terminal) is permitted by the server, if the exchange controls the means for controlling telephones to set a hand-free mode with respect to an extension corresponding to the client terminal, an operator can speak over the extension without leaving the display of the client terminal.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the invention, the exchange is provided with a means for controlling telephones to control a call mode of each of the extensions, such that forbidding of ringing can be set by the means for controlling telephones with respect to an extension in which an incoming call to a client terminal corresponding thereto is permitted by the means for managing an incoming call mode of the server.
When an incoming call to a client terminal (notification of an incoming call is displayed by a change on a display means of a client terminal) is permitted by the server, if the exchange controls the means for controlling telephones to forbid ringing of an extension corresponding to the client terminal, an operator can recognize that there is an incoming call merely with a change on a display of the client terminal without being conscious of the extension.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, each of the client terminals is provided with a means for reproducing sound to reproduce an audio or visual file held as its own when notification of an incoming call is received from the server.
Since an operator can set an arbitrary audio or visual file to be reproduced when there is an incoming call, more various kinds of notification of an incoming call is possible compared with several kinds of ringing tones prepared in advance in an extension. Further, a dynamic visual file is included in the audio or visual file.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the fifth aspect of the invention, the exchange cancels the forbidding of ringing of the extension in case response processing at the client terminal or on-hook operation of the extension is not carried out after a predetermined length of time elapses since an incoming call to the client terminal is permitted by the means for managing an incoming call mode of the server and the client terminal is notified of an incoming call.
When the server sets a mode in which an incoming call to a client terminal is permitted, in case response processing at the client terminal or on-hook operation of the extension is not carried out because, for example, an operator is not at his desk, the exchange cancels the forbidding of ringing of the extension. By this, another operator near the extension can recognize that there is the incoming call.
According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the server or the exchange is provided with a means for registering an alternative telephone to receive an incoming call to register an alternative telephone to receive an incoming call other than the extension telephones corresponding to the client terminals, respectively.
When an extension corresponding to a client terminal can not respond due to malfunction or the like, or when the operator using the client terminal is at work somewhere else, the operator can receive an incoming call at another extension registered in the means for registering an alternative telephone to receive an incoming call.